SOLDIERS who returned to Catterick Garrison from Iraq have been reunited with their families and friends.

A plane carrying 150 troops from B Company of the 1st Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment touched down on Tuesday night at Durham Tees Valley Airport, where it was greeted by a piper, Gunner Dean Wallace.

The soldiers were taken by bus to Somme Barracks, at the base, where there were tearful reunions with partners and children after seven months in the Gulf.

The soldiers are the last from the battalion to return to the UK.

In the past three weeks, 300 troops from A Company and C Company have flown back from Iraq.

The battalion operated southwest of Basra, where its role included meeting residents, civic leaders and security forces, and encouraging organisations to work together towards a more stable country.

While they were away, the soldiers kept in touch with their families via email and 30 minutes of phone calls a week. Each battle group also had its own website with news and messages.